This invention relates, in general, to electronic components, and more particularly to methods for attaching an electronic component to a leadframe.
Conventional electronic components are assembled by mounting the electronic component to a leadframe and encapsulating the electronic component with a packaging material. The leadframe typically has a die flag, leads, shorting bars and dambars. The die flag is a large central portion of the leadframe to which the electronic component is mounted. Bonding wires are then used to connect the electronic component to the leads as the dambars hold the leadframe together during the assembly process until the packaging material is placed onto the leadframe.
In high volume manufacturing operations, there are at least two problems that result from the use of conventional lead frames that have die flags. First, each electronic component typically has a different size, and thus, requires a specially tailored leadframe that has a die flag that has the proper dimensions. Even if the leadframe is formed with a stamping process, customizing the leadframe to the size of each particular electronic component increases the manufacturing cost of the electronic component.
Secondly, if a manufacturing facility is assembling different electronic components, each requiring a different leadframe, then the overall manufacturing process is made more complicated. Accurate inventorying of the various leadframes and scheduling is required so that the manufacturing facility can efficiently produce the mix of electronic components to meet the constantly changing customer demands.
By now it should be appreciated that it would be advantageous to provide a method of assembling electronic components that obviates the need to use a customized leadframe for each electronic component. Such a process would be less expensive and allow a manufacturing operation to perform more efficiently.